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22 days to lift the siege on Gaza

In 22 days, the Israeli military invaded Gaza and left death and destruction in its wake.

In 22 days, we will focus on lifting the blockade of Gaza by pressuring Egypt and Israel to open the borders.

With participants from 22 countries, we will make this a truly international effort.

From May 22-June 14, delegations will amass at the Rafah border in Egypt and the Erez crossing in Israel, along with boats coming in from the Mediterranean Sea (via www.freegaza.org). We will envelop Gaza with solidarity in order to LIFT THE SIEGE.

With your help, we can do it. We will do it.

Here’s how you can help:

Organize your own delegation—students, labor, health workers, lawyers, artists, religious, environmentalists, farmers, peacemakers—sometime between May 22 and June 14. You can try to enter Gaza through either the Israeli or Egyptian border. CODEPINK, a U.S.-based peace group that took a 60-person delegation to Gaza in March 2009, can send you a detailed guide with info on hotels, transport, visas, etc. and help you camp at the border if you don’t get in. Contact us at gaza.codepink@gmail.com.

Participate in a delegation: If you don’t have the ability to organize a delegation but would like to join one, contact us at gaza.codepink@gmail.com. For a one-week trip, the per person cost is airfare to either Cairo or Tel Aviv, and then approximately $600 for other expenses (internal transport, hotel, food, visas, program in Gaza and donation to local groups).

Donate funds to this effort. You can donate online (https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/424/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=4489) or send a check made out to CODEPINK/Gaza to 2010 Linden Ave, Venice, CA 90291. You can also host a house party fundraiser.

Volunteer time to build the campaign: We need help with outreach, media, website, organizing teach-ins, setting up speaking engagements, etc. Contact us at gaza.codepink@gmail.com with ways you can help.

Thank you for your support. Together, we can take a stand to protect and respect the human rights and dignity of all people in the Middle East.

CODEPINK, www.codepinkalert.org

Background:
In March, CODEPINK organized a 60-person delegation, that included Alice Walker, to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and to give gift baskets to the women of Gaza on International Women’s Day. This campaign is the next step in our commitment to work for peace in the region. To read more about the previous Gaza delegation, click here (LINK to alert, http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=4761 ).

Find frequently updated news and analysis about the Gaza siege on our blog here: http://codepink4peace.org/blog/category/codepinkcampaigns/gazaisrael/

More info and resources on CODEPINK’s Gaza Campaign here:
http://codepinkalert.org/gaza

Additional background resources on Palestine and Israel here:
http://www.globalexchange.org/countries/mideast/palestine/background.html